


i'm taking too long

by clueless09



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Mutual Pining, My First Fanfic, Some parts may be OOC, barchie, not bughead/varchie friendly, set after 4x18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:15:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24507529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clueless09/pseuds/clueless09
Summary: Betty and Archie kissed. Now, they have to deal with the consequences.
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Betty Cooper, Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper
Comments: 16
Kudos: 84





	1. Prom

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! So, this is my first ever fic. I am new to this whole world, even the barchie fandom in general. I've never been part of a fandom before, or this invested in a relationship, so bare with me while I figure everything out! I'm sorry if the writing is not on the same level as you're used to, I'm not much of a writer, but I just needed to write this all out so I could get it out of my head! Hope you like it.

Looking in the mirror, Archie felt as if he were looking at a stranger. Someone he didn’t want to be. Instead of seeing a kind, loyal boyfriend, he saw a deceitful and unfaithful one. And he hated it. Still, he felt like he couldn’t control it.  
That night in the garage, it felt like for the first time in 3 years, Archie was just a kid. A teenager. In that garage, he was an innocent boy kissing his childhood crush and the girl he had asked to marry. After he kissed her, that was when everything changed. He couldn’t be around her without noticing her pouty lips, or her gleaming smile, or the way she always bit her bottom lip when she was concentrating. Instead of paying attention in class, he caught himself daydreaming about her, and what it would be like to call her his. When he was with her, he felt safe, happy, so happy it shouldn’t be legal, and like he wasn’t being judged for all the horrible mistakes he’s made.  
Before the kiss, he was able to act. He was able to act like seeing her with Jughead didn’t make him feel like he had been punched in the stomach. He was able to act like his heart didn’t miss a beat whenever she laughed at a joke he said. He was able to like she was his friend, not something more.  
But now, he couldn’t. Because she wasn’t just his friend. She was his best friend. She was his first love. She was his first kiss. She was his first proposal. She was Betty Cooper.  
Archie looked over to his right out of his window. To the girl next door. Except, this time, his vision was blocked by closed curtains. Curtains that had stayed closed for weeks. Ever since the night where they longed for each other. The night where they realized things would never be the same.  
Archie’s train of thought was interrupted by a notification from his phone.  
Hey lover, I’m outside. Come meet me, I can’t wait to see how handsome you look in your suit! Love you, :) - V  
Before Archie could let himself be consumed by his guilt, he quickly replied. Be out in a few. :) -A  
Archie ran down the stairs, and quickly shouted a goodbye to his mother. “Mom, Ronnie’s here! I’m going to go!” But, before Archie could shut the door, Mary stopped him.  
“Wait! Honey, it’s your senior prom!” Mary came from the kitchen counter to meet her son at the doorway. She quickly grabbed her camera, and while fixing his collar, she continued, “You honestly don’t think I wouldn’t want a few photos before you left?”  
Archie groaned while following his mother out the door. “Fine, but not too many, or else we’re going to be late! Right, Ronnie?”  
Veronica stood in Archie’s driveway when he left his house. She was wearing a stunning purple velvet dress that went down to her ankles, a slit up to her thigh revealed some skin. Her black heels went perfectly with her raven hair. “What am I right about?”  
“Um,” Archie was left speechless. Whatever he felt for Betty, he still loved Veronica. With her perfect white teeth, dark brown eyes, and tight dress, Archie couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she looked. His awe was quickly replaced with a new wave guilt. She didn’t deserve what he was doing to her. That seemed to be his thing. Feeling like the women he loved were too good for him.  
“I wanted to take some pictures with everyone.” Mary clarified.  
“Ah,” Veronica turned to her left when she noticed people exiting the house next to Archie’s. “You’re just in time guys! Archie’s mom was just about to take pictures.”  
Archie turned to look at the boy and girl next to him. Jughead was wearing a suit that looked a little too big for him, probably a spare one Alice had found in the house. He still had his beanie on. So, basically, nothing new.  
His breath hitched in his throat as he allowed himself to observe Betty. She was wearing bright, sparkly white shoes, and her baby pink dress also went down to her ankles. For the special occasion, she had allowed her blonde locks to be free, soft curls falling around her shoulders, her hair framing her breathtaking face. Her blue eyes caught his hazel ones. 

Betty knew tonight was going to be hard. She just didn’t know it was going to get this hard this fast. It should be illegal for him to look that good in his suit. When she locked eyes with him, her knees practically turned to jello. His lips turned up into a warm, kind smile that Betty quickly returned. Only when she felt Jughead grab her hand did she break his gaze.  
She heard Jughead clear his throat and quickly returned the focus on the conversation. “Um, I think it would be best if I were on the sideline.”  
“Ah, no, Jughead.” Mary protested. “I need at least one of all four of you.”  
Reluctantly, Jughead posed for the cameras. Betty made sure to stay as far away from Archie as possible. That was her new plan. You see Archie, you turn the other way. However, that was quickly spoiled.  
After Mary finished taking pictures of Archie and Veronica, she states, “Alright, now Archie and Betty.”  
Archie and Betty quickly looked at each other in a look of confusion. Archie finally asked, “Huh?”  
“Oh, come on you two. I need a picture with the childhood best friends!”  
Archie looked at her with a questioning look, and Betty answered with a short nod. Cautiously, she went to walk up to Archie’s side.  
“Guys, I need you to get a bit closer. Archie, put your hand around her waist, and for God’s sake, stop acting like you’re two strangers who have never seen each other before!”  
Betty felt Archie’s hand slip around her waist, pulling her body to angle toward his. “Is this okay?” Archie whispered. Suddenly losing her ability to speak, she simply nodded. Putting her hand on her waist, Betty waited until hearing the click of her camera before practically jumping out of his grasp.  
Looking over to Jughead and Veronica, she tried to look for any clues of them being suspicious. As far as she knew, she was in the clear. After saying some goodbyes to Mary, the four friends jumped into the limo and rode to their prom.

Arriving in the gym, Archie was genuinely surprised. Every part of the gym was decorated, and yet it wasn’t overwhelming. “Wow, Betty, you helped plan all of this?”  
Betty blushed, “Yeah, but Cheryl and everyone else helped a bunch.”  
“Still… this is great!” Archie gave her his signature smile.  
Ronnie spoke up. “Archiekins, I can see Reggie! He told me he was going to spike the punch. Everyone want a cup?” The group nodded in unison, they were going to have fun tonight, no matter what. Ronnie went to chase after Reggie, leaving Archie alone with the happy couple.  
Suddenly, Jug’s phone started ringing.  
“Who is it?” Betty asked.  
Jughead tilted the screen so Betty could see the caller ID. “Charles. I told him to call me if anything else happens with the tapes.”  
“Oh.” Betty tried to hide her disappointment. She had agreed to investigate with Jug again, but that didn’t mean she wanted it to get in the way of her senior prom.  
Jug answered the call. After a few seconds, his eyes widened. “What?!”  
“Jug… what is it?”  
“Um, there was another tape.” Jughead revealed.  
“Oh…. do you want me to come with you?”  
“No!” Jughead protested. He knew how much she was looking forward to tonight. “I’ll go, you stay. Have fun.” With that, Jughead gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and left the gym, giving a slight nod to Archie.  
Realizing it was just her and Archie, she suddenly felt the air grow tense. Trying to break the tension, Archie reached out his hand, silently asking permission. As an answer, Betty took his hand. The second they stepped onto the dance floor, a slow song started to play. Betty internally groaned. She was sure the universe was out to get to her.  
Archie pulled her close to him, her hands on his waist, hers locked around his neck. Being close to her, Archie couldn’t help but stare at her. It was a battle between her gleaming eyes and her pink and full lips. Betty seemed to be struggling as well. To everyone else, it might’ve looked like just two really close friends dancing together. But they knew to not be so naive. Somehow, Archie and Betty moved so close together that practically their entire torsos were glued together. Archie had his head rested against her forehead, and Betty was fiddling with the hair behind his neck.  
Archie was the first to break the silence. “You know, being here with you, it makes me think back to a night 3 years ago.”  
With the mention, Betty was transported back in time. The way she had practically cried throughout the entire night, the way she felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest, and how she felt like she would never be the same again. Betty tore her eyes away from Archie for the first time since they had started dancing. “Please, Arch..” her voice wavered before she continued, “I don’t want to talk about that.”  
Realizing his mistake, Archie started, “Betty-”  
“Please?” Betty met his hazel ones again. “Just for tonight, or even right now, can we forget about everything? About what’s going on with us? About those stupid tapes? Can we just be Archie and Betty? Can we just be kids again?”  
“Sure, Betty.” With that, Betty pulled him impossible closer and rested her head on his shoulder. Archie buried his face in her hair. Apples. Her hair always smelled of them, green ones, ever since they were 5.  
In that dance, Archie and Betty forgot about everything. Instead, they let themselves be consumed by each other. Even though they weren’t doing anything, it was more intimate than anything they had ever experienced. But unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. At least not a song.  
Although the song had ended, they stayed in each other’s embrace for a few seconds longer. They didn’t want to let go. They knew if they did, they would have to come back to reality. To the horrible reality that was their life.  
When they finally did look away from each other, Archie suddenly realized someone in the crowd. The rest of the students had remained oblivious. But not her. He could see her in the crowd, holding their cups, watching Archie and Betty with the biggest look of confusion he had ever seen. The worst thing was, Archie didn’t care. He was tired of acting. He’d been acting and pretending ever since he was 8, ever since he broke her heart, ever since that sweet, soft kiss in the car, ever since when he was rescued from prison. He was taking too long. He had to stop before he was too late.  
Betty followed his gaze, and unlike Archie, she rushed over to Veronica to try to explain herself.  
“H-hey, V!” Betty tried to sound innocent. “That my drink?”  
“Uh, yeah.” Veronica’s furrowed brows thankfully loosened up due to Betty’s behavior. “What was what?”  
“What was what?” Betty asked, acting incredulous.  
Ronnie shook her head. “You know, what? Forget about it. I think I’m just trying to see something to see something that’s not there.”  
Betty visibly exhaled. Archie came up behind her. “Hey, Ronnie.” Archie went to go kiss Ronnie’s cheek, but Veronica turned her head to catch him in a kiss. Ronnie held the kiss for a few seconds, and Betty was forced to look away. Maybe Veronica didn’t completely forget about Archie and Betty’s dance.  
Archie pulled away from Veronica. “Um, what was that for?”  
“What, did you not like it?”  
Archie cleared his throat. “No, uh..” he looked over to Betty. He could see how uncomfortable she was, and in that moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to kiss her. Make sure that it wasn’t what he wanted. That Veronica wasn’t who he wanted. But he couldn’t. “I liked it.. very... much.” Archie had to physically push the words out of his mouth. He couldn’t handle this anymore. He needed to show Betty that he wasn’t able to pretend. Not this time. So, he came up with a plan. “Um, you know what? Ronnie, I actually have a song I was thinking about performing.”  
Betty’s eyes widened in panic. She knew exactly which song he was talking about.  
“Oh, really, Archiekins? And who may this song be about?”  
“A special someone.” Archie borrowed the words he had heard his mother hear. “I’ll be right back.” And with that, Archie rushed off.

With Archie gone, Betty basked in her panic. What was he doing? She wanted to run after him and tell him how stupid he was. But a part of her, a sick part of her, wanted him to sing the song. But she was worried. When she first heard the song, she was transported back to a time of hurt. After he had rejected her. How could she know she wouldn’t be hurt again?  
Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to answer the question. She heard a voice clear his throat through the speakers. She whipped her head around and saw Archie on the stage with a guitar.  
“Um…” Archie nervously continued, “I’ve recently gotten back into singing again. I thought as a parting gift to you guys, I would sing a song I wrote.”  
The crowd cheered in approval. Veronica bounced giddily beside Betty. Archie strummed the first few chords, and suddenly it was just him and her again, alone in the bunker. Except this time she couldn’t stop him. The tears came flooding out without permission. Archie’s eyes never once left hers. What should she be doing? Should she be swooning? She kind of was. But she also found herself getting angry. Why now? Why couldn’t he feel this way 3 years ago? Now he finally realized how he felt?  
He was too late.  
“Betty… Why are you crying?” Veronica asked nervously.  
Looking at her best friend, the tears came more violently. She didn’t deserve this. Jughead didn’t deserve this. “I’m so sorry, Veronica.”  
“What are you talking about?” Before Veronica could continue, Betty ran out of the gym.

Archie put down his guitar and ran off the stage after her. He passed by Veronica, and the look she gave him, he knew she knew. But he didn’t care. All he wanted was to get to Betty.  
“Betty, wait! Please!” But she was already a blob exiting out of the front doors of the school. He went to go after her, but he was interrupted.  
“That…” Archie turned around to look at the girl he used to love, the one he still did. Instead of seeing the perfect makeup and smile, he saw a girl who’s mascara was streaming down her face. “Song wasn’t about me, was it?” Archie shook his head. “Why?” It was a simple question, but it was also the most complicated thing.  
“It’s Betty, Ronnie.”  
Ronnie gave him a short nod of understanding. She scoffed. “I was so stupid.”  
“No! Ronnie I loved you. I still do.”  
“But you’re in love with her!”  
That was the difference. The difference Betty didn’t see, but Archie was now forced to. He loved Veronica, but he was no longer in love with her. He was in love with someone else. Someone he always had been. “I have been since I was 8 years old!” Archie burst out.  
“When?” The question came out before Veronica could overthink it. She was too curious.  
“When we kissed in the music room… something changed.”  
Veronica looked at Archie in disbelief. “I asked you if you felt anything after that kiss!”  
“I didn’t want to admit it to you, I didn’t want to admit it to myself… but then we kissed again.”  
“What do you mean again? You cheated on me?!”  
“I’m so sorry, Veronica.”  
“How?”  
“We had just gotten into that fight about your dad, and then Betty and Jughead had also gotten into a fight. She showed up to the rehearsal, and we practiced the song. And then… we just kissed.” Archie knew Veronica didn’t want the details, but he felt like he was going to go insane if he didn’t tell someone. “During that song, I realized everything that I was feeling. Ronnie, my entire life, I’ve been convincing myself that I don’t love her, it’s just some perfect image of her in my head. And it used to be. But that night, I saw her, I really saw her. And I loved every single part of it.”  
“What was I then? Some backup plan to use up until she’s ready to be with you?”  
“No!” Archie moved in front of her to make sure that she could see him, and how much he meant the next words. “I loved you with everything in me, Ronnie. But then everything got so fucked up. I mean you even just wanted to have “fun.” You knew we weren’t going to last past graduation.”  
“Don’t you dare put this on me!”  
“I’m not! I’m just saying that Betty wasn’t going to be the only reason that we were going to break up.”  
“Well, that’s one thing you made sure of.” Veronica looked at Archie with such hate, he was pretty sure she would never forgive him. “We. Are. Over.”  
Archie knows that he should’ve been heartbroken. But really, he felt relieved. Then it turned into guilt when he realized the relief. “I’m so sorry.”  
“I don’t care.” With that, Veronica turned around and walked back into the gym. Archie could still hear her when she asked Reggie for another cup of punch.  
Suddenly, Betty reentered his mind. Archie needed to get back to her. With the way she was running, she was probably already back home. Archie ran the rest of the way home, not stopping until he reached their street. He looked at the stairs leading up to the beautiful white house. He could see her room, but the lights weren’t on. Maybe she wasn’t home yet.  
Standing on the road, before the steps, Archie was brought back to the night of sophomore year. The night he broke her heart. The night he broke his. He never forgave himself for hurting Betty that night. He had promised himself when she broke her arm that he would never hurt her. He would always be there to help heal her. That night was the biggest regret of his life. He was so selfish. He was so scared that he didn’t realize that Betty was finally offering him everything he had ever wanted. He loved Betty. He loved her so much that he couldn’t let her be with someone that was having an affair with his teacher.  
He wasn’t that kid anymore, though. He was finally ready to be worthy of her. Or at least spend the rest of his life trying to be the man she deserved.  
Archie tentatively rose the steps. Walking up the stairs, he saw an object in the front of the door. Except it wasn’t an object. It was a body. One in a baby pink dress and one that had blonde hair.  
“No, no, please!” Archie ran over to her. “Betty!” Archie turned Betty’s unconscious body around so that he could see her face. She had blood coming from her head. Just like Jughead. Archie shook Betty’s body furiously, trying everything to get her awake. “Betty! Wake up!”  
Hearing the commotion outside, Alice Cooper came to see what was going on. “Oh my god!” She immediately went to kneel by her daughter. “What happened?”  
“I don’t know… I-I just got here!” Archie looked up at Alice. “Call the ambulance!” Except, Alice didn’t move. She stood there frozen. “Hey, Mrs. Cooper! You have to snap out of it. Betty needs you.” Finally, Archie seemed to get through to her. Alice went inside to call the ambulance.  
Archie turned his attention back to his best friend. He suddenly realized all the blood on him. His hands were covered in blood, so was his shirt. It almost matched his hair. Panic took over and he could feel streams of hot liquid come down his face. His vision became blurred. “Betty!” He called out to her, hoping she would hear him and miraculously wake up. “Betty, please, wake up. I need you. I-I can’t lose you, Betty. God Betty, do you hear me?” Archie moved his hand to gently cup her pale cheek. “Betty, I’ll die without you. Please, don’t leave me. Please.”Archie bent down to fully engulf Betty in a hug. He let the tears fall out and drop onto her dress. He begged. “Please Betty.”


	2. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks guys for all the love and support! I'm thinking this will be about 5 or 6 chapters, and I'm just gonna give y'all a warning. These next two chapters may seem OOC to some of you guys, please don't get mad if a fave of yours might seem like an asshole, it's all for the drama.

Betty felt numb. After leaving the high school, she had practically ran the entire way home. She had lost her heels halfway through. She didn’t bother to pick them back up. She had one goal in mind. And that was to get home. When she reached the stairs, she finally allowed herself to stop. Defeated, she sank to the floor and let everything out. All the sadness, anger, betrayal, confusion, hurt, and love. All came out the same way. In tears.

She cried until she was sure all the water had left her body. Just to make sure, she continued for a few more minutes. She had been sitting towards the house and was so consumed in her own problems, she couldn't realize someone watching her. Finally, Betty could hear the breathing of someone that wasn’t her. At first she thought it was Archie, but even when she was with him, she felt safe.

Now, she felt like she was in danger. Slowly, she turned around to meet someone wearing a cartoon mask of Jughead. Before she could scream, call for help, do anything, the mysterious person swung.

Then… black.

Archie felt numb. After Betty was taken away in the ambulance, he immediately drove in his jalopy to the hospital. He had been here for what felt like years. He hated hospitals. He spent way too much time in them. First, his father. Now, Betty. Everything smelled of death and sterilizer. 

Alice was absolutely hysterical. FP sat next to her trying to calm her down. He sat in between Jughead and Veronica. He had texted them both when he was driving to the hospital. Veronica was a little tipsy from all the punch, and Jughead had only gotten here a few minutes ago with Charles. To quote him, “the tapes.”

Right then, Archie wanted to punch him. He was supposed to be protecting Betty. He trusted him to protect her in ways he couldn’t. Ways he wasn’t allowed to. And Jughead failed. He was too caught up in the tapes. Those stupid tapes. How was that more important than being with Betty at their senior prom?

Veronica didn’t mention anything about the kiss to Jughead, and Archie didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed. He finally settled on the first option. Tonight was not the night for drama. The only thing that was important was Betty.

After a few hours, Veronica decided to leave. It was already 5 am and she had made Archie promise to text her if anything happened. FP had left to take Jellybean home. His mom tried to convince Archie to come home, but he wouldn’t budge. He needed to be there when she woke up. 

Archie stirred when he heard a phone ring. Charles picked up his phone and moved to the other side of the room.

“Ok..” Charles rubbed his forehead. “Um, I’ll be there in a few.”

“What was that?” Jughead asked.

“The tapes.” Jughead stood up out of his seat. “Jughead, if you want to stay, you can. But we got a huge lead on the person who created the tapes. We think that was who attacked Betty.”

“Okay.” After a few moments of debate, Jughead turned to Archie. “Will you text me if she wakes up?”

Now it was Archie’s turn to jump out of his seat. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“What?” Jughead asked, clueless. Archie grabbed Jughead’s collar and dragged him out of the waiting room. Until he was sure he was a safe distance from Alice, he finally let go. “Archie, what the hell was that?”

“You’re seriously going to abandon your girlfriend for another stupid mystery?!” To control his fury, Archie balled his hands into fists.

“No, I’m going to track down the guy that almost killed my girlfriend. This isn’t some ‘stupid mystery’!”

“To Betty it is.”

“Oh, and you suddenly know how Betty would feel?”

“Jughead, I know Betty better than she knows herself.”

“You may have known the little girl that was obsessed with you, Archie, but that’s not Betty anymore.” Archie could sense that Jughead was getting a bit mad, too. He made sure to stand his ground. Jughead may be good with words, but Archie always won his fights. “Why are you even here, Archie? Last time I checked, you were too concerned with your workout routine to even care about Betty.” 

“How dare you.” Archie spit out. “I love her.” Jughead’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Archie continued. “Sometimes it may have been just platonic, but I have always loved Betty with every single thing in me. So don’t you dare tell me that I don’t deserve to be here just as much as you.”

“Sometimes?” Jughead scoffed. “What, suddenly it’s more than just friends?”

“And what if it is?” Jughead’s smile disappeared.

“What happened to not being good enough for her?”

“People change, Jug.”

“Well Betty doesn’t want you. She wants me. And that’s all that matters.” Jughead seemed to be trying to convince himself more than Archie.

“You sure about that?” 

“You will never deserve Betty.” Jughead turned to walk away from Archie.

“But she deserves her boyfriend leaving her when she needs him most?” Archie called after him. Jughead froze. When he turned around, any resemblance of his smile or smugness was gone.

Instead, he looked at Archie with complete and utter hatred. “Notice how I’m her boyfriend? Stay in your place, Archie.” Jughead warned. 

“What are you going to do if I don’t, Jug? Call your Serpent friends? ‘Cause we both know you’re too scared to do it yourself.” At this point, Archie wasn’t sure if he meant the words he was saying or not. But they did feel good to say. 

Without anything to say, Jughead began to walk away again, deciding the conversation was over. “Call me if anything happens when I’m gone.” 

“My pleasure.” Archie commented sarcastically. Archie wouldn’t see Jughead for the rest of the night.

It finally came down to just Alice and Archie. They hadn’t said a word to each other, both too wrapped up worrying about Betty. When they saw a man in navy blue scrubs push through the doors, they both jumped up eagerly.

The man in scrubs looked around the waiting room until landing his eyes on Alice. “Mrs. Cooper?”

Alice put her hands down by her side. “Yes. Is my daughter okay?”

The man smiled. “She’s fine.” Hearing those two words, both Archie and Alice let out a sigh of relief. “But she’s not out of the woods.”

“What do you mean?” Archie asked nervously. “You said she was okay.”

“Physically, yes. But, son, she took a hard blow to the head. We don’t know what kind of damage it could’ve done to her brain.”

“Well, what’s the worst case?” Archie asked, although he wasn’t sure if he truly wanted to know.

“Her behavior could be different, she could even have amnesia.” They both looked at each other in panic. The doctor continued. “But that is unlikely. We’ll know the specifics when she wakes up.”

“Are we allowed to see her?” Archie asked anxiously. He just wanted to be with her. If he didn’t get to see her in 10 minutes, he might need some medical attention.

“Yes,” Archie went to move past the doctor, “but only family members.” 

Archie froze. “What?!”

“I’m sorry, son. Those are the rules.” 

Archie went to protest but Alice put her hand on his arm to stop him. “Archie, let me go with the doctor.” She lowered her voice to a whisper so that only he could hear. “I promise you, I will find a way to get you into that room.” She went to give Archie a reassuring look, and then followed the doctor past the doors.

Archie waited. And waited. He paced around the room. Sat in the chair. Stood up. Sat back down in the chair again. What was taking Alice so long? Just as he was about to go through the doors himself, he saw Alice making her way down the hall. 

“Mrs. Cooper!” Archie ran over to meet her.

“You’re lucky.” Alice gave him a stern look. “It took me ages to convince him, but he agreed. If he comes in, you’ll have to act like you’re her boyfriend, though, he believes in young love.”

“Oh. Great.” He was a pro at that by now.

“Okay, follow me.” Archie followed Alice to a room towards the end of the hallway. Walking into the room, Archie felt as if he couldn’t breathe. Betty lay unconscious on the bed in a gown. She had a bandage wrapped around her head. Her pink, now red in some places, dress and shoes lay in a bag on a chair beside the bed. The now rising sun was the only source of light in the room, and it seemed to be gravitated towards her. Her face was lit up beautifully, and her golden locks rested around her shoulders.

“Oh my god.” Walking closer to her, Archie could see the damage he didn’t notice when he found her. All the worry and fear rose to the surface. He let the tears fall. And fall. He suddenly felt Alice’s arms wrap around him, trying to calm his shuddering shoulders. “I know, honey. I know.” 3 years ago, Archie seemed to be Alice’s mortal enemy. Now, she held him in her arms as he broke down, soothing him with her words. 

“Beep. Beep.” 

Betty fluttered her eyes open. Looking down, Betty saw herself laying in a bed. But it wasn’t her bed. This bed was a little uncomfortable, and a twin. Betty suddenly realized her attire. She was in a gown. A hospital gown. She was reminded of what happened last night. Archie. Veronica. The man in the mask. Oh my god. She was attacked. Was she dead? She was pretty sure she was alive. She reached up to scratch her head in confusion, but she was blocked by a bandage. Definitely alive. No way would she have a bandage around her head if she was in some sort of weird hallucination. 

Betty finally took notice of the sleeping figure next to her. The red-headed boy had his head supported on his arm. He was still in his tux from the night before. Did he really stay here the entire night? Betty let herself stare over every feature. His scar between his eyebrows, his lips, and his fiery hair. He looked so peaceful, so angel-like, Betty couldn’t help but think she actually was in a hallucination. Except this time, the hallucination was her life, Archie. How could someone so kind, so peaceful be real, and be in her life? She was hesitant to take him out of this state, but she knew he would want to see that she was awake.

“Archie?” Betty raised her hand out to him. Archie groaned as he awoke. When he saw the girl looking back at him, his eyes widened.

“Betty?” He sat up immediately.

“Hey.” She softly said. Archie moved to sit on the bed with her, facing her. Betty couldn’t help but reach her hand up to cup his cheek. He closed his eyes and turned his face to nuzzle into her hand. When he finally opened his eyes again, they were glossy.

“You’re awake.” Archie revealed a smile filled with relief. “You’re okay?” Concern filled his face as he reached out to touch her head.

“I’m fine.” But she still flinched when he touched where she had been hit. Betty forced a smile to show she meant it. 

“You scared the hell out of me, Betty.” His voice cracked when he said her name. “When I found you…” Archie wouldn’t let himself finish. “Betty, you’re the only one that got me through losing my dad. If I had lost you, I would’ve died.” Archie finally let a tear fall down his face. Embarrassed, he turned to hide his face and brush his tears away.

Betty rushed to hug him. He tightened his arms around her. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, she basked in his warmth. She could feel his breath on her neck as he sighed. Archie went to kiss the side of her neck, causing her skin to erupt in goosebumps. God, his slightest touch made her go crazy. Hey,” Betty moved her head back so that she could look into his eyes. Betty went to rest her forehead against his. “I would never leave you, Archie. Do you hear me? Ever.” Archie nodded his head in understanding. “Besides, I needed to give you a little bit of payback after you ran away from Riverdale.” Betty gave him a smirk, to which he chuckled.

“Was it really that bad?” Archie stared at her intently.

“Archie, the thought of not knowing if you were alive or not ate me alive. I couldn’t eat or sleep. Not even Jug could get me to sleep.” Archie hands went to intertwine with hers. Their heads still rested against each other. “The only person that could make me feel like myself again, the only one that could make me feel safe, was the one that was potentially dead. You said you would’ve died without me, but I was dying while you were gone.”

“Betty, I’m so sorry.” Archie kicked himself. “I promised myself after that night that I wouldn’t ever hurt you again. And I did.”

“Hey, look at me.” Betty held Archie’s face so that he could meet her gaze. “You’re here now.” 

Suddenly realizing how close they were to each other, Archie shifted and cleared his throat. “Uh, I should text Jughead and everyone that you’re awake. They were all here all night, but since you were stable, they decided to go home to shower and get some rest.” Archie moved to get off her bed, but Betty grabbed his arm to stop him.

Archie looked at Betty, questioning. “Arch, they’ll get here. Until then, I want to feel safe again.” Betty looked up at Archie expectantly, and he knew what he was asking of her. Deciding against his better judgement, Archie climbed into the bed with her. 

Archie lay down on the bed and reached his arm out to let her rest her head on his chest. Betty scooted as close to him as humanly possible, and Archie wrapped his arms around her. Feeling his touch on her skin left it feeling like she was burning. Archie kissed the top of Betty’s head as she tucked it into his neck. “Night, Bets.”

Betty raised her head at the mention of her old nickname. She smiled at Archie and he returned it. “Bets? You haven’t called me that in forever.”

He shrugged. “Thought it was time it made a comeback.”

Betty went to rest her head back on his chest again. “Good night, Arch.” Even though it was morning, both Betty and Archie slept better than they had in months. In each other’s arms, they felt safe. Finally.

“What the fuck?” Betty opens her eyes sleepily. She raises her head to share a confused look with Archie. Then, they turned to acknowledge the angry person standing in the doorway. “Archie, you really couldn’t stay away could you?”


	3. Fallout

Both Betty and Archie shot up, trying to create some space between each other. “Jug, it’s not what you think.” Archie blurted out. 

“So, you’re not laying in bed with my girlfriend?” Jughead asked, furious. “The one that you said you loved?”

“What?” Betty asked. She should be trying to calm down Jughead. But only one thought occupied her mind. Archie loves her. “You said that?” Betty shyly turned to Archie. He stood next to her looking like a deer in headlights.

Archie started to blush. “Y-yeah.” Betty’s heart started to swell. He loves her. “Bets, I was going to tell you.” 

“Wow, Archie, now you’re stealing my nickname for her?” Jughead stormed towards Archie. He threw the flowers on the ground and started to raise his fists up. Archie moved to meet him halfway.

“Stop!” Betty shouted. Both boys stood frozen, arms raised, hands balled into fists. “Oh my god! Okay, first of all, Jug,” Betty moved to face her boyfriend, “Archie started calling me   
Bets when we were 6. He’s the reason that I go by Betty in the first place!” 

“See?” Archie turned to Jughead triumphantly.

“Oh, you asshole…” 

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m not done!” The reason Betty loved these two was a mystery to her. “You guys are literally acting like five-year-olds!” Both boys hung their heads in embarrassment. “Do I seriously need to separate the two of you?!” 

“No.” Jughead and Archie muttered in unison.

“Good.” Betty felt like a kindergarten teacher. Her head had started to throb, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her injury or the two teenage boys standing in front of her. “Second of all, what in the hell is going on between the two of you?”

Betty regretted her question, because immediately, both boys started to talk over each other to her. “Guys, if you don’t SHUT UP I will kick you out of my room.”

“Sorry.” They muttered, again.

“Jug, go first.” It was his turn to smile triumphantly at Archie. Betty went to go sit back on her bed. She knew she was in for it.

“Okay, so Charles got a call about the tapes and we had found a suspect, so I decided to go with him because I knew you would understand, but Archie thought he knew you better than me and tried to tell me what you would want. But-”

Betty looked at him in confusion. “Wait. You left the hospital because of the tapes?”

Now it was Jughead’s turn to look confused. “Yeah, isn’t that what Archie told you?” 

Confusion turned in fury and hurt. Her boyfriend of 3+ years had left her while she was lying unconscious, about to die, for a mystery. “No, Jughead.” Betty stood up to walk over to Jughead. Looking him in the face she stated, “Apparently, Archie does know me better than you. Because he knows that I wouldn’t want my boyfriend to leave me when I could be dying, especially for some stupid mystery, so instead, he told me that you had stayed as long as you could until you only went home to take a shower and get some rest!” Betty felt sick to her stomach.

“Betty, just let me explain-”

“You left me here! While I was dying!” Betty could feel the tears coming, but she forced them to stay at bay. “Not because you were forced to, or because you just wanted to get some rest. But for some stupid tapes!” At this point, Betty was yelling straight into Jughead’s face. Jughead turned his head in shame.

“Look at me, Jug!” Betty couldn’t hold her tears anymore. She couldn't recognize the person standing in front of her. In that hospital room, Betty finally allowed herself to really see her relationship for the first time. She did love Jughead. But that Jughead she loved wasn’t the one standing in front of her. That Jug died, a long time ago. Just like how ‘perfect’ Betty died. And she had been trying to hold on to any resemblance, but there was nothing to hold onto anymore. She wasn’t sure when, and she didn’t need to. She thought she was in love with the idea of Archie, but really, she was in love with the idea of Jughead. Their perfect relationship, one filled with mysteries and stories. But that was just it. It was fiction. Betty had to choke out her next words. “Get. Out.”

Jughead scoffed, but his laugh was completely humorless. “Betty, you can’t be serious.” 

“What is it gonna take for you to leave?”

“Nothing.” Jughead went to touch Betty but swiftly she moved out of his reach. “I’m not leaving you again. Betty, I made a mistake. But I can fix it.”

“You can’t, Jughead. We’ve both made too many mistakes.” Was she really going to do this? Right now, in her hospital room, with the two people she’s loved in her life.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jughead asked, exasperated.

Betty took a deep breath. “Archie, you might want to leave.” Archie moved in between Jughead and Betty. 

“Betty, are you sure about this?” Betty simply nodded her head. 

“Sure about what?” Jughead called after Archie as he left. 

“I kissed Archie.” Betty blurted. Jughead turned to look at Betty. Betrayal painted over his face.

“Please tell me I heard that wrong, Betty.” Jughead moved closer to Betty. He begged, “Please tell I didn’t just hear you say that you cheated,” his voice cracked before he continued, “with Archie.” 

“I’m sorry, Jughead, I really am.” Betty cried, mourning her relationship. 

“Don’t.” Jughead held his hand up, creating distance between him and Betty. “We’re over.”  
The words should’ve hurt more. They would’ve if she wasn’t so tired. “We have been for a while.”

“You don’t get to say that!” Jughead yelled. “Not when you’re the one that gave up on us.” Sharing one last look, Jughead rushed out of the room before his tears could fall.

Archie hadn’t wandered too far from the room. Just far enough to give them privacy, but to also hear if anyone started shouting. He saw Jughead rush out of the room. Jughead caught Archie’s gaze and stopped. He seemed to debate something, but ultimately decided against it and continued on.

Archie wasn’t sure if he wanted to give Betty space or not. It had been a crazy 24 hours. Fortunately, Archie didn’t have to choose. 

“Arch,” Betty called out to him. She stood in this doorway with tears stained on her face. She ran over to him, meeting him halfway as he enveloped her in a hug. He wanted to take all her pain away, but knew he couldn’t. So instead, he held her, cradled her head in his hands, and let her cry into his shoulder. After a few minutes, her sobs stopped and her face dried. “What do I do now?” His heart lurches at the sight of suffering and agony on her face.

“We’ll figure it out.” Archie moves to kiss her forehead, and his lips linger for a few seconds longer over her face. His eyes flicker to her lips, and for a second, he thinks about kissing her in the middle of the hallway. It takes every ounce of self-control not to.

“Thank you.” Betty whispers. She wraps her arms around Archie’s torso and buries her face into his chest. She can smell his cologne, and breathes it in like it's her lifeline. “Archie?”

“Yeah?” He mutters.

“I don’t really know what it means for us, but,” she pulls away from his chest just enough to look at him, and looking into the hazel eyes that have been in countless amounts of her dreams, she says, “I love you, too.”

Archie couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank God.” He feigns a sigh of relief, to which Betty lets out a joyous laugh. Hearing her laugh like this, to one of his stupid jokes, his heart skips a beat. She loves him, too. 

But what did it mean for them? What did he want it to mean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one was short. The next chapter is graduation!


	4. Graduation

Betty was released from the hospital a few days later. She was cleared to go to school when she was released, but she didn’t see the point. Her life was a mess. She was a mess. She had broken up with her boyfriend, who still lived under the same roof as her. It was so awkward, Betty didn’t even go out of her room anymore. Archie had tried to come by a few times. That may have been an understatement. He came by everyday to get an update on how she was doing and asked if he could see her.

She’d told her mom that she was too tired to see anyone. But the truth was she was scared of what she would do if she saw him. After everything that happened at the hospital, Betty had tried to convince herself that the only reason she had said those three words was because she was hooked on drugs. But even she wasn’t that stupid. But the drugs had done something. They made her forget how scared she was. They made her be able to let her guard down and do things she had been yearning to do. Like say she loved him, and that she made him safe, and admit to Jughead that she cheated on him. 

God, and she didn’t even regret any of those things. Because she wanted to do them. And the drugs gave her just enough courage to do it. 

But she wasn’t on drugs anymore. And now she remembered. She remembered all of the things that had kept from jumping into the arms of her next door neighbor. He hurt her. He hurt her and she was scared that he was going to hurt her again. Because she knew if he broke her heart again, she wouldn’t come back from it. So, she had to stay away from him. Because one look at his signature smirk, and she knew she would crack. She had no choice.

Everything was going to shit. Veronica wouldn’t look at him. He couldn’t blame her. Jughead seemed to want to punch everyone and everything in sight. If he were Jug, he would probably want to do that too. And the one person he thought he would have by his side hadn’t come out of her bedroom for a week. So yeah, Archie wasn’t too optimistic at the moment. 

He felt alone. Completely and utterly alone. Reggie had been trying everything to cheer him up. But nothing worked. The only person that could cheer him up had been avoiding him after she told him she loved him. 

Did she not mean it? 

Did she regret everything? 

Did she not love him?

Those questions occupied his mind every second of every day. It kept him up at night.   
One day, while Archie was getting ready for school, his doorbell rang. He opened his door to find a thick package left on his doorstep. He bent down to pick it up. In big block letters on the center of the package, the words “Naval Academy” were printed out. 

“Mom!” Archie called out as he retreated back into the house, the package firmly in his hand. The Naval Academy had been the furthest thing from his mind. When he had agreed to get serious about it, he felt so lost. He just wanted something to look forward to, because there wasn’t anything left for him in Riverdale. He couldn’t stay in Riverdale, not when everything reminded him of her. Did he still feel the same way?

“What is it-” Mary stopped when she saw the package in her son’s hand. “Is that?”

Archie let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Yeah. You want to open it?”

“Are you sure?” Mary now stood next to her kitchen counter, relying on it for support.

To answer her, Archie ripped open the package. He didn’t feel nervous, or excited. He just wanted to get it over with. The Navy seemed like his only option now. It’s not like he could stay, there was nothing for him here. And there was no way he was getting into any college. Archie reached inside the manilla envelope and took out a piece of paper. A letter.

Archie skimmed over the words. His mother looked like he was going to burst from suspension. “Dear Mr. Andrews, blah blah, wait,” Archie had to read over the sentence to make sure he read it right. “Mom?” Archie looked up at his mother. “I got in!”

“Oh my god!” His mother squealed with glee and wrapped her son in a bear hug. “Aw, honey, I’m so happy for you.” His mother gave him a quick peck on the cheek that he hadn’t even bothered to wipe off. “Your father would be so proud.” Mary was now crying.

She knew he was right. That was all Archie really wanted. For his father to be proud of him. He was making the right choice. 

It was graduation day. Betty couldn’t miss today. Partly because she was valedictorian but also because her mother had threatened to kill her if “she didn’t get her ass out of bed.” Guess she was over the almost dying excuse. In her defense, she had already missed a week of school. But today meant seeing everyone she had been trying to avoid. Veronica, who had seemed to reluctantly forgive her after almost dying. Jughead, he definitely hasn’t forgiven her yet. Archie, who she planned on avoiding the entire night.

Betty looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a lace white dress that stopped just above her knees and her hair was down again. She moved to throw on her cap and gown. They were both navy blue except for the gold string attached to the top of her cap. She sighed and reluctantly walked out of her bedroom window.

Walking down the stairs, she could tell that Jughead had already left along with Jellybean and FP. Her mother stood at the bottom of the stairs, a camera in her hand.

“No, mom, no pictures, we’re already running late.” Not letting her mother protest, Betty turned to walk out the front door. “Besides, you can take pictures at the ceremony.” Betty looked back to see if her mother was following her or not.

“Fine.” Basking in her glory, Betty walked out of her house not thinking about Archie for the first time in weeks. “Okay! Let’s go.”

Walking into the gymnasium, Archie was met with a sea of blue. The parents all sat together in the bleachers and the kids mingled together by their seats on the basketball floor. Archie surveyed the room until finding the girl he was looking for. She looked completely and utterly beautiful. He stood there, waiting, until she finally caught his eye. He went to give her a small, tentative smile, but she immediately turned away.

His smile disappeared. Is this what it was going to be like? Was she just going to avoid him until they left Riverdale? He could feel himself getting a little angry. She was supposed to be his best friend. Now, a month of feelings cancelled out 14 years of friendship?

The rest of the ceremony was excruciating. He should’ve been enjoying the fact that he miraculously graduated, but he was too caught up in Betty. He even almost didn’t hear his name being called. He didn’t even remember receiving his diploma. He needed to fix things.

Oh my god, he was walking over to her. She could feel her eyes widen in surprise. She stood in a group made up of Veronica, Kevin, Cheryl, Reggie, and Toni. She could feel him standing behind her, his eyes burning a hole through her. 

“Betty.” She could hear the emotion in his voice. The anger. The hurt. She was doing this to him. A wave of guilt rushed over her and caused her to turn to face the red-headed boy.

“Arch.” She forced out and plastered on a small smile.

“Don’t ‘Arch’ me.” Oh god, she was about to get her head bitten off. Archie opened his mouth to continue, but was thankfully interrupted by Cheryl.

“Archie thank God you’re here!” Cheryl went to stand in between him and Betty. “TT and I are throwing an after-party at Thistlehouse.”

“Is Betty coming?” Archie cast a pointed look at Betty.

“Yes.” Cheryl stated. Betty went to protest but Cheryl held her hand up to stop her.

“Great. I’ll be there.” Archie cast one last glance at Betty before leaving the gym. 

“Cheryl!” Betty hissed after Archie was out of hearing range.

Cheryl turned around to look at her cousin. “Don’t thank me, cousin.” With that, she left to stand by Toni.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Betty somehow started to dread this day more than she did before.

Archie stood in front of the mansion. He doesn’t think he’ll get over how creepy it really is. A chill ran through him as he walked up these steps. Every few seconds he had to remind himself why he was here. Betty. He had to talk to her. Figure out what was wrong. If she regretted the things she said at the hospital. 

He went to knock the door, but it suddenly swung open.

“Archie! Finally, come in.” Cheryl had a big smile plastered on her face. Her hostess smile. 

Tentatively, Archie stepped through the door. To his surprise, only his friend group was inside the home. He was expecting his entire grade. Instead, it was just Veronica, Betty, Kevin, Fangs, Reggie, and Toni. Jug was nowhere to be found. Archie couldn’t say he was surprised.

“Archie! My man.” Reggie held up a red solo cup that Archie couldn’t tell was his first. His words were already a bit slurred, and when he walked over, he wobbled. “How about a drink?” 

“Uh, I don’t think so, man.” Getting drunk was the farthest thing from his mind. Betty seemed to have the same idea. She had no drink in her hand, and she seemed to be the only person in the room who hadn’t had a drink already. 

Reggie whined. “Aw, come on, bro. Don’t be such a buzz kill.”

“Sorry, Reg. Not happening. Not tonight.” Reggie swung his arm off of Archie’s shoulder and disappointedly went back to stand next to Fangs and Kevin. Archie didn’t want to be rude, but the part seemed a bit boring. Everyone just stood around waiting for something to happen. Reg, Kevin, and Fangs had their own group, then it was Toni, Veronica, Cheryl, and Betty. 

Cheryl seemed to be reading his mind because she suddenly addressed the room. “I know what will start this party up. How about a game of spin the bottle mixed with seven minutes in heaven?”

“Like sophomore year?” Veronica slurred. She seemed to have forgiven Betty, but not Archie, and she was most certainly drinking her sorrows away tonight.

“Exactly.” Cheryl said a little too mischievously as she looked between Archie and Betty.

“I’m down for it.” Archie called out. The rest of the group hummed in agreement except for Betty. “Bets?”

Betty met Archie’s eyes for the first time since he got to the party. “Um, sure, why not?” Although, Archie could see the uncertainty in her eyes. He couldn’t blame her. The last time they played this, Archie and Betty had broken each other’s hearts. Were they going to do it again tonight?

Their group sat in a circle around the bottle. Betty could feel the anxiety building up inside of her. 

“How are we gonna start?” Toni asked.

“That’s a great question, TT. I think we’ll spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on will go first.” Cheryl proposed. It was a good enough idea, so they went along with it. Cheryl reached over to spin the glass bottle. Archie sat across from Betty, facing her. She could feel his eyes on him as the bottle spun round and round. The group held a collective breath. The bottle steadily began to slow down and it became clear it was either going to land on Reggie or Archie.

Please be Reggie. Please be Reggie. Please be-

The bottle stopped and undoubtedly faced the red headed boy of her dreams. Okay, this is fine. It’ll be fine, Betty thought. The last time they played, it hadn’t landed on her, who’s to say it will land on her this time? She excused.

She knew it was completely bull. If this followed her luck, it would land on her. God, the universe was out for her, wasn’t it? God really didn’t like cheaters. Or people in denial. Choose your pick.

Betty could see the sweat on Archie’s forehead as he went to spin the bottle. What was he nervous about? He’d been trying to corner her all day. What better way than a tiny closet? Betty sat in between Toni and Veronica. A very drunk Veronica. On second thought, Betty wasn’t sure if she wanted the bottle to not land on her. Seven minutes in the closet with V, and they could walk out back together. Betty resisted the urge not to vomit at the thought of it. Again, the bottle spun and spun. With each spin, Betty grew more restless. She started to hatch an escape plan.

Maybe you could act like you fainted. Maybe get sick. You already feel like it. Unfortunately, Betty didn’t have enough time to create a realistic. The bottle came to a halt, pointing to the girl sitting in front of Archie. 

Shit.

Archie wasn’t sure he had seen her more pale. This was going to be a long seven minutes. He didn’t know which part would be the most difficult, surviving the awkwardness or resisting the urge to kiss her. 

“Great! Go on love birds!” Cheryl chirped. “Into the closet.” They both slowly rose and walked side by side into the closet. 

Inside the closet, Archie suddenly realized how small it really was. It didn’t seem that small 3 years ago. He looked over to Betty, who was standing pressed up against the wall farthest from Archie. Her sneakers seemed to be captivating to her.

“Bets.” Archie called out to her, trying to get her to raise her head. “Will you please look at me, at least?” He could hear the bit of frustration in his voice. Betty seemed to hear it too, for she raised her eyes to meet his. “Can you please talk to me?”

Betty feigned innocence. “What is there to talk about?”

“Seriously?” Archie could feel the anger boiling up inside of him.”How about we talk about our kiss for once? Or about what happened at the hospital? Or about what we said to each other at the hospital?” Each word carried a different emotion, each piercing Betty’s heart. “What, did you not mean what you said?”

“No, of course not Archie!” He could see Betty’s throat bobble. “But it’s not like we can do anything about it.”

“No, screw that. I’m sick of doing this.” Archie inched his way closer and Betty was forced to let him.

Betty swallowed hard. “Doing what?”

“Acting like it never happened. It’s what we did the night of the black hood,” He could remember that night. They were in the heat of the moment, a “my life is in danger kiss” labeled by Veronica. However, he wasn’t sure he had felt that way. “And after the night of the rehearsal and in the bunker. We have never really once talked about it.”

“About what?” At this point, there was only a few inches of space in between the two of them.

“About what we feel for each other!” Betty broke eye contact. “Fine, you don’t talk about how you feel, then you’ll listen.”

Betty slowly started shaking her head. She warned, “Archie…”

“I don’t regret it.” He stated. A flicker of hope appeared on her face before it quickly disappeared. “Betty, I didn’t kiss you because I felt safe with you, or because I was scared about what was going to happen in the future. I kissed you because it’s something that I have been dreaming about doing since that night sophomore year.” Betty looked at him at the mention of that night. Her blue eyes and its hint of green glistened with the extra water that hadn’t yet pooled onto her face. “Betty, that night has been my biggest regret.” He sighed out. Archie reached out to take Betty’s hands. A lone tear traveled down her cheek. Archie slowly reached up his thumb to wipe it away. Not wanting to lose that contact, Archie cupped her cheek, forcing her to look into his hazel eyes. “Betty, I kissed you because I’m in love with you.” His eyes flicked down to her lips. He could feel her warmth on his body. “So, please, for once, Betty, stop thinking about what your head thinks, and tell me what your heart says.” He pleaded.

His words threw her back. He regretted that night. He didn’t regret any of it. He’s in love with her. Oh my god. What was she doing? Why was she so hesitant? She’s been in love with him for 10 years. She thought back to what Cheryl had told her, but instead of blindly believing it, she really examined. Idea of Archie? What idea of Archie? She had known this boy for years. She was in love with him. And she wanted him.

“Betty, please say something.” She looked at the boy in front of her. He looked so vulnerable and so worried. He was scared, too. But his want for her outweighed the fear. Betty was pressed up against the wall, and Archie had his hands on her cheeks, his thumbs trailing along her cheek bones. Betty and Archie studied each other’s lips, and before Betty could think about all the possible repercussions, she closed the space in between them.

Her lips found his like a magnet. Whereas their previous kisses had been ones of doubt, this kiss was deep and full of the pent up love and lust of the past few weeks. Betty felt Archie’s hands snake around her back, pulling her closer. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, tangling her fingers in his air. She could feel his tongue move to part her lips, and once successful, it explored her passionately. 

Suddenly, Archie was picking her up and she wrapped her legs around him. She squealed in surprise and she could feel his smile against his lips. Pressed up against the wall, Archie was able to bring both of her hands up to her face, one holding the back of her head and the other on the side of her neck. Kissing him, Betty remembered why she was so in love with him. Archie was intoxicating. Once she had one a taste of him, she couldn’t stop. Every time their lips met, she found herself wondering how something could feel so right.

Archie moved his lips to her neck, gently kissing and sucking there. She could feel his hands all over her body. As her hands had been tangling in his hands and traveling along his chest and back, his had slipped under her shirt, dancing across her skin. 

Before, they could do anything more, they were interrupted up by a loud banging. “Time’s up!” They heard Reggie yell.

“Shit.” Archie muttered against her neck. Betty laughed at his response. Hearing her laugh, Archie looked up at her. Instead of seeing joy, she saw his eyes filled with worry. “Bets… was this another mistake for you, because it wasn’t for me.” 

Betty reached down to intertwine his fingers with his. “No, Arch… I want to be with you.”

It was Archie’s turn to laugh. He looked at the door, knowing everyone was most likely listening in or waiting impatiently. He whispered, “What do you say we get out of here?”

Betty grinned mischievously. “In 20 minutes?”

Archie contemplated and then responded, “15.”

“Okay,” Betty leaned down to give Archie a quick kiss before extracting herself from her grasp. She fixed his hair and rubbed her lipstick off of his lips while he readjusted her shirt and fixed her ponytail. “Ready?” Archie nodded in response and pushed the closet door open. 

Swinging the door open, Archie and Betty saw 4 pairs of eyes staring back at them. The fifth pair was too consumed with her drink. The eyes staring at them gave the two knowing smirks.

“What took you guys so long?” Reggie asked, his tone a playful one.

Archie cleared his throat and looked over at Betty for an explanation. “Um, we were just talking with each other.” He cringed. How in the world was he capable of lying about his feelings for her?

“Come on, Archiekins.” Veronica slurred out, looking up from her cup. “We all know you guys were doing other things.” The rest of the group nodded in response, laughter coming from them. Veronica continued, “You know what? Good for you guys.” She stumbled over to stand by Reggie.

“You’re not mad?” Betty asked, confused.

“Betty, let’s be honest here.” Her drinks had definitely helped reveal her thoughts. “We always knew you and Archie would end up together. It was just a matter of when. Even Jug knew.”

Betty raised her eyes in surprise. Veronica seemed to be done, since she had walked over to get more drinks. “Um, well in that case…” Betty reached over to slide her hands in Archie’s hand. Archie turned his head to look at Betty, and both went in for a kiss at the same time. Although it had meant to be a quick one, Archie deepened it. They finally broke apart when they heard their friends start to hoot and holler. 

Archie hovered over her face still looking into Betty’s eyes. She gulped from the desire in his eyes. “Let’s go?” She needed to be alone with him.

Archie nodded, dumbfounded. “Yeah… yes.”

Taking Archie’s hand, she walked over to the front door, waving goodbye to her friends, ignoring their teasing howls. Once outside of the house, Archie pulled Betty into one final kiss before getting in the car. “I can’t believe I get to do that now.” 

Betty threw her arms around his neck. She leaned up to whisper in his ear, brushing her lips against his skin. “Among other things,” she teased. Once she leaned back, Archie had his mouth hung open and his eyebrows raised in surprise.

She could see his Adam's apple bobble before he spoke again. “We’re leaving. Now.” He stated with a sense of urgency. Before Betty could nod in agreement, Archie had already grabbed her hand and started taking her to his car. Witnessing his reaction, Betty laughed, a real one, filled with pure happiness, one she hadn’t heard in years.

She couldn’t help but feel as if she was in a dream. One she didn’t want to ever wake up from.


	5. Goodbyes

Archie slowly opened up his eyes. It took him a few moments for him to remember all the events of last night, and upon remembering, he was instantly filled with overwhelming happiness. Instinctively, he turned over and reached over to pull Betty closer. Instead of finding her, he was met with empty space. Half asleep, Archie looked around in confusion. He could see that the comforter had been folded back and that his shirt drawer was ajar. 

He heard a noise downstairs. He stumbled out of bed and threw on his boxers. Following the sound, Archie moved down his stairs into his kitchen. Upon entering his kitchen, Archie saw Betty with her back turned to him. She was singing along to the blasting music, using a spatula as her microphone. Her hair was up in a messy bun and all she wore was one of his shirts that looked like a dress on her. Archie leaned against the entrance into the kitchen, admiring the sight. 

When Betty finally turned around, he was grinning from ear to ear. His pearly white teeth flashed at her. She turned beet red seeing his hazel eyes travel along her body. She swiftly turned back around to the stove. He could see that she was cooking pancakes. His favorite. 

“Look who’s finally up.” She said while flipping over a pancake. 

He chuckled and made his way over to wrap his arms around her from behind. He buried his face in her neck and took in her scent. He could still smell the remnant of green apples, but he could also smell himself on her. He pressed to the side of her neck and felt her lean against him. “Good morning,” he whispered softly in her ear. 

He could feel her shiver against him when his lips had brushed against her ear. He smiled at himself. Archie swung Betty around to look at him. Betty giggled. She rhythmically brushed her hands up and down his arms. “The pancakes are gonna burn, you know.”

“Let them.” Archie grabbed Betty’s face and leaned in to capture her lips. Betty deepened the kiss, pulling him in closer. He knew he should stop there, but he couldn’t get enough of her. He was pretty sure he would never get enough of her. Betty was like breathing for him. He needed her. And now that he did, he wasn’t ever going to let go. 

Archie backed Betty up to press against the counter next to the stove. Snaking his arms down to her waist, he lifted her up to sit on top of the counter. He could feel her smile against his lips. Before they could continue, Betty broke away. Archie whined at the loss of contact.

“Arch…” he finally opened his eyes to see Betty’s face contorted in confusion. He could see her nose twitch. “Do you smell that?” At the mention of it, he realized that the smell of something burning had filled the kitchen. Following the smell, his gaze landed upon charred pancakes that had started to smoke. ‘Shit!” Betty yelled and pushed herself off of the counter. She ran over to turn the stove off. “Archie!”

Betty looked over accusingly at him. He raised his hands defensively. “Don’t look at me.”

“Oh, really?” Betty put her hands on her hips in frustration. Now that she had handled the pancake problem, her full attention was on the red-head. “Then who’s fault is it?”

“Yours.” Archie stated blatantly. Betty hung her mouth open in disbelief. Archie continued to try to explain himself. “Bets, you’re literally standing in front of me with nothing on by my shirt.” Betty looked down at her attire.

“Oh.” She muttered. She wasn’t mad anymore, but she was not going to let the blame fall on her. “Well, it’s not my fault you can’t control yourself.” Betty looked up at Archie innocently. 

“You’re right, Bets. I’ll be better.” He jokingly said. He moved to step towards Betty.

Betty held her hands up. “Ah.” She handed him the spatula. “You… will finish making these pancakes and try not to burn down your house while I set the table.” Archie took the spatula in defeat.

“Okay.” He stole a kiss on the cheek and went to work. He could hear Betty shuffling around setting the table before it stopped. He shouted out to her without looking up, “Damn, Bets, that was fast.” He waited for a response. He could sense that she was nearby, but it didn’t sound like she was moving. He flashed back to prom night and panic arose. He turned around to see if she was okay. 

He heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing that she was by the kitchen table. But still something was off. Her back was turned towards him and she was looking down at something. “Bets?” Hearing her nickname, Betty finally turned towards Archie. He could see that she already had tears in her eyes, and seeing the object in her hand, he knew why. His breath caught in his throat. In Betty’s hand was a manilla envelope. A college acceptance letter. His Navy acceptance letter.

He was going to the Navy. Betty couldn’t seem to comprehend the thought. He was leaving. Her spiral was interrupted when she noticed Archie rushing towards her. Betty stepped away from him. “Stay away from me.” She choked out.

“Betty, please just let me explain.” Archie reached out to touch her, but she moved out of his grasp. She needed to get out of her. She needed to figure out what this meant. For her. For him. For them. She needed to get away from Archie.

Betty rushed out of the house, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to follow her or not. She didn’t have the time to decide on which. She could hear Archie running after her, calling after her. She had let the tears fall freely now, sobs shaking her entire body. He lied to her. Was he ever going to tell her? If he lied about this, what else had he lied about? Doubt was flooding her thoughts.

She quickened her pace. Betty grabbed the doorknob on his front door, but was stopped by a hand that had landed on top of hers. She froze. She could feel him behind her, breathing heavily, his warmth moving onto her. 

He begged, “Betty, let me explain. Please.” He whispered into her ear. 

Hurt turned into anger. How dare he not tell her. How dare he let them spend the night together without telling her. The night that had just minutes ago been one of the best of her was quickly soured. She whipped around to glare into his face. “The Navy, Archie?” She questioned. He shamefully looked away from her. “How could you not tell me?” Her voice cracked at the end of the question.

“Bets, you weren’t talking to me.” He turned to look back into her eyes, his face mirrored hers. “You had been avoiding me for weeks.”

“So, what, you just were going to leave without telling me?” She asked, exasperated. His silence answered her question. “You weren’t going to tell me?! Even after last night?” She felt betrayed.

“No.” Archie choked out, his expression suddenly serious. “Last night meant everything to me, Betty.” He reached out to take her hands in his, not breaking eye contact with her. “You were just so happy, it was the first time I had seen like that in years, Bets.”

Betty scoffed. “I can’t believe I actually got my hopes up.” Archie dropped her hands, offended.

“What is that supposed to mean?” He asked.

“Archie, you’re leaving for the Naval Academy!” Betty shouted, trying to get him to understand.

“That’s only 3 hours away from New Haven. We could still make this work!”

Archie’s hopeful expression softened Betty’s anger, now turning into sadness. “But then what happens when you’re enlisted, Arch? This is the Navy, Archie. You could leave and never come back.” Betty had to force the last few words out. She couldn’t let herself wonder what that would be like. “What happens then?”

She could see the hope drain out of his face. She could see it dawn on him. Doubt. Archie rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know, Betty. I don’t know, okay?” Archie seemed to open his arms in surrender. “But you want me to just give up on this? Us?” Archie motioned between the two of them. “‘Cause I can’t, Bets. I love you. And I want to be with you. That’s all that should matter.”

“But it’s not.” Betty took a step towards Archie. “Can’t you see? The timing is always wrong with us.” 

“So what do we do?” Archie asked. Betty moved forward to hold the boy she loved in her arms. 

After a few moments of holding each other, Betty spoke again. “We wait for the right time.” Betty pulled away to look into his golden hazel eyes. “Arch,” she cupped her face in his arms. “I love you. I want you to be my forever.” She forced out a humorless laugh. “I want you to be the father of my children. I want you to be my husband. I want to grow old with you.”

“I want that too, Betty.” He stated, confused.

“But if we do this now…” Betty trailed off. “Archie, we won’t survive it.” 

“You don’t know that.”

“But I don’t want to risk that.” Betty moved to rest her head against his, taking her thumb and brushing off his fresh tears. 

“So what, we just don’t try because it might not work?” Archie asked, his anger starting to rise to the surface.

“No, Arch.” She countered. “I’m saying that we just wait for the right time to try.” 

“And until then?” Archie sighed out.

“The only thing we can. We savor the time that we have until you have to leave. Okay?” Betty questioned. She knew that if they continued like this it would be harder to say goodbye, but she couldn’t let of him. Not yet. Archie nodded in response.

He moved forward to connect his lips with hers, Betty immediately melting into him. She wrapped her arms around him, holding on for dear life, as if he might slip away forever. 

One week later, the day for Archie’s departure came. Betty had been staying at Archie’s house the entire week. She didn’t care that it was obvious that they were now together, and how it made Jughead and Veronica feel. For 7 days, Betty let herself be selfish. His mother had come back from her sudden trip a day ago. While she was gone, Archie and Betty took advantage of every space in his house. It seemed as if they had been trying to pack years of a relationship in one single week. Which they did. They spent every waking second together, waking up in each other's arms, and falling asleep in them. They stayed in their own bubble of denial, avoiding talking about the elephant in the room. They did that until the very last second.

When Betty woke up on the dreaded day, she let herself take everything in. She memorized everything. The way his room looked from his bed, the view he had into her room, and finally Archie. She studied every single possible feature on his face. His bushy dark eyebrows, his scar in between them, his lips, his strong jawline, and his fiery red hair. She lay there studying him until he woke up.

The night before, she had made a promise to herself to stay strong, so that’s exactly what she does. She plasters on a soft smile as she watches his eyes flutter. She plasters on a smile as she sees him pack up his bedroom. She plasters on a smile while eating breakfast, creating conversation with Mary. She plasters on a smile on the ride to the train station. 

Finally, after hours of her cheeks hurting, she stops staying strong. She lets the act break when he holds her in his arms. She lets the tears fall while she kisses the man she loves one last time. And she lets her heart break as she waves goodbye to a train leaving in the distance. 

\--------

Betty could feel her heart pounding against her ribs as she passed by the sign. “Riverdale: The town with pep!” She was scared to be back here. Everything in this town reminded her of memories that she had locked away in a dark corner in her mind. So, she left it. 5 years ago, Betty left this town with no intentions of ever coming back. There was nothing left for her anymore.

When she had received the invitation, Betty felt cornered. She knew she couldn’t say no, it was her cousin’s wedding, but she still let herself consider the possibility. She let herself consider that in some world, she would be allowed to say no without getting killed by Cheryl. But that world was not the one she was living in, so she begrudgingly said yes. And if she was being honest, she was struggling in New York. It wasn’t a very nice city for aspiring journalists.

But even with all the horrible things that had happened in this town, she was excited to finally see everyone. She hadn’t seen Cheryl and Toni in years. Veronica had forgiven Betty, and they had fixed their friendship. It had become clear to Betty and Jughead that they would not be able to avoid each other. It had helped when their parents got engaged, a reminder that they wouldn’t have really ever worked out. Dating someone you were living with was weird enough, but dating your step sibling was a whole other level of crossing the line. So, they moved on. Well, from each other at least. Jughead had now been dating another girl for a few years now. She was a writer, like him, and loved mysteries, so they were most definitely meant for each other. 

Betty on the other hand had a little trouble moving on from a certain boy next door. She had tried dating a few people, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. And something was. They were never Archie. Archie and Betty had lost touch after he left for the Academy. They checked in with each other, but they both knew it would be easier if they kept their distance. She had hoped that she would get to see him, but his mother had told her that he was deployed, and he wouldn’t be able to make it for the wedding.

She didn’t even know what she expected to happen, but there was one thing that became apparent to Betty over the past 5 years. She wouldn’t ever be over Archie. He was who she was meant to be with. She had grown to regret her decision to end things with him. While she did believe that it would’ve been near impossible for them to survive, the what-ifs tortured her everyday. Fuck timing, she thought. The second she was able to have him, she wasn’t ever going to let go again. 

Betty finally let herself escape from her thoughts when she pulled up to her childhood home. The house seemed to tower over her. She looked to the house next door. Mary had decided to keep the house, although no one had been occupying it. Even looking through the window, she could tell that Mary hadn’t touched a thing. At least not in Archie’s room. 

“Betty!” Betty turned her head to find her mother running over to her, the front door left open behind her. She pushed the door open to get out of the car. Before she could even greet her mother, she was trapped in a suffocating hug. 

“Hi to you too, Mom.” Betty muttered. Finally after the longest seconds of her life, her mother let go of her. 

“Well, come on, let’s get these bags inside.”

Betty is laying on the couch when she hears her mother come in. “Hey, honey, I couldn’t help but notice that you brought a lot of bags.” Betty could already tell where this was going, and she wasn’t sure if she was quite ready for it. “How long are you planning to stay?”

Betty shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, mom.” She nervously looked up at her mother. “To be honest, New York hasn’t really been all that great.” 

Her mother’s face had immediately softened. She rushed to sit down next to her daughter on the couch. “Betty, why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s embarrassing, mom. All of my friends from Yale already have their dream job or are on their way to getting it, and I just feel lost.” Betty could feel a tug at the back of her throat, but she forced it down. She was not about to cry in front of her mother.

“Well…” Betty looked up to her mother to see a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. She could see the wheels turning in her head. “I could always use an extra journalist in Riverdale.” 

“Mom…” 

“Honey, it doesn’t have to be forever. Just until… you find your dream job.” 

Her mom wasn’t wrong. While she had promised herself that she would escape this town, it wasn’t like she was staying here forever. It was just temporary. Plus, she needed something to keep her busy. “Can I think about it?” Betty didn’t want to say anything before she wasn’t absolutely sure.

“Of course, honey.” She had a victorious smile, even though Betty hadn’t even said yes. Alice looked over to the clock. “It’s almost 1:30. What do you want for lunch?”

“Actually, mom, is it okay if I go to Pop’s? I haven’t been there in forever, it feels like.” If she was being honest, she just wanted to see Riverdale again. She hadn’t been here in years, and if she was going to be staying here for a while, she should get into the Riverdale spirit. And what better way to do that than with Pops?

“Sure, honey, I’ll just have some leftovers.” 

“Great!” Betty shot up. “See you later, love you!” She pressed a quick kiss to her mom’s cheek and rushed out the door. She didn’t know why she was so excited, maybe she just wanted to get away from her mom.

On the drive to Pops, Betty took in the scenery. With all the horrible memories that filled her head whenever she thought of this town, she forgot how beautiful it really was. It was fall, so the leaves were all sorts of different colors, green, red, orange, yellow, and brown. She had forgotten how close Pop’s was to her house, arriving at the Shoppe in just a few minutes.

Walking through the front door, hearing the bell, it felt like she was her high school self once again. She didn’t know if she liked the feeling or hated it. 

“Hey there.” Betty turned to look at the person who owned the voice. Her smile grew from ear to ear at the sight of an old friend.

“Pop!” Betty rushed over to give the sweet old man a big hug. 

“Missed you too, hon.” She could feel his joyous laugh vibrate throughout his entire body. He pulled away. “Now, why don’t you take a seat by your booth and I’ll get you your shake?”

“My normal?” Betty smirked.

Pop gave her a wink before turning away, calling back to her over his shoulder. “You know it!” 

Walking over to her booth, Betty realized how empty the restaurant was. A place that had once been the most famous spot in town was now empty. 

After sitting down, she heard her phone vibrating in her pocket. She picked up the phone to see who was calling. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Archie. Betty took a calming breath before answering the call.

“Hey there, stranger.” Betty greeted him.

“Hello to you, too.” Archie answered back. With all they’ve been through, Betty was grateful that they were still able to keep their friendship. Granted, it wasn’t what she was hoping they would be, it was enough for now. At least she told herself that to make it easier.

“What do I owe the pleasure of a call by Archie Andrews?” 

“I can’t call up my friend just for fun?” He defended.

“Well, sure, but you’ve already called me this week and we usually call like twice a month, but this is the second time this week, so… what gives?” 

She could hear him sigh in defeat. “I was just thinking about you.” She could feel her cheeks flush, and she rolled her eyes. She hated how in seconds, he made her feel like she was a highschooler all over again. 

“What are you doing right now?” Betty asked, trying to change the subject.

“On my way to a restaurant.” She felt like she could feel his smile in the way he was talking. Suddenly, she heard the bell ring from Pop’s. However, she could also hear the ring of the bell from her phone. 

“No way…” Betty muttered to herself. 

She could hear Archie chuckle. “What is it?” She hid her hands in her face, trying to psyche herself up to turn around. She could feel her heart beating in her chest. Was she really about to see him for the first time in 5 years?

Finally turns around, and her suspicions are proven true. She drops her phone in shock, her body frozen. She knows she should be doing something, anything, but she can’t move.

Before her stood Archie Andrews. But he was different. He stood in his Navy uniform, head to toe in uniform. The sight of him brought tears to her eyes. His hair was shorter, and he somehow looked even more muscular than the last time she had seen him. But he was also exactly the same. He still had those glowing hazel eyes, and that boyish grin. She couldn’t believe it.

“What, no hug?” Archie stood just before the entrance, a couple feet away from her. Hearing him talk finally took her out of his senses. She jumps out of her booth and rushes over to run into his arms. Even after such a long time, they feel so familiar. She clasps her arms around his neck, and raises her legs to clasp together behind his back. 

He stumbles back in surprise, but eventually regains his senses and tightens his arms around her. One of his hands is under her legs, supporting her, and the other is around her back, pulling her impossible closer. She never loosens her grip, afraid if she does, he will suddenly disappear, or she will wake up from this dream. Feeling him in her arms, Betty releases a breath she had been holding her for years. He was finally home. She could hear him laugh, and the sound of it made her stomach flip. “I missed you too, Bets.” He breathes her in. “So much.”

He has his head buried in her loose hair. She is grateful that the only other person in the shop is in the kitchen, preparing her food, although taking unusually long. 

After what seems like minutes of being his arms, Betty pulls away just far enough to meet his gaze. He brushes away the tear that had fallen from her face, and Betty closes her eyes, cherishing the contact that she had been longing for. She looks at him in disbelief, “You’re home?”

Archie nods in response, tears threatening to fall out. He clears his throat and confirms, “I’m home, Bets.”

“But for how long?” Betty knows that this should be the last thing on her mind, but she needs to know. 

“For a while.” He states, still holding him in his arms, not once letting go. “Bets, I’m not going anywhere.” He seemed to understand what she had been worried about. In the silence, Betty suddenly became aware of how close together they were. The entire top of their bodies were pressed together, only two layers of clothing separating them. She could feel his hands on the small of her back and under her legs. He had become aware as well, taking in the sight of Betty for the first time. He stopped at her lips. It seemed as if he couldn't look away from them.

“Bets…” Archie whispered, his voice hoarse and low. “Is the time right yet?”

He looked up to meet her eyes, and Betty knew that there was no staying away from Archie anymore. She had made a promise to herself to not let him go if she ever had the chance, and she was going to keep it. “Screw timing.” 

Both Betty and Archie surged forward at the same time, their lips meeting together at the same time. His lips were soft, but also desperate. Betty immediately melted into him, all the longing and regret coming out fervently. She was in love with Archie Andrews, and she always would be. There was no point in trying to avoid it, nothing was stopping them. They could finally be together without any guilt or worry of what others would think or feel. 

Archie was her forever. She was his twin flame. No matter what obstacles would be thrown at them, she knew that they would always find their way back to each other. In the end, that was the reason that she was able to get over the worry of all the risks. Because she knew, no matter how cheesy it sounded, it didn’t even come close to the love they felt for each other. 

So, she told all of that to him through her kisses. She told him how much she loved him, how much she wanted him, how much she needed him. And he showed her how much he understood with the way he kissed her back, with the same exact fire and intensity. 

They were done with running, because in reality, all they really needed was each other. After years of feeling lost and like she was drowning, with him, she felt as she was finally coming up for a breath of fresh air. He was her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how you guys liked this story, and if you have any prompts, write them below in the comments, just in case I want to write another fanfic again. Still not sure though, we'll have to see. Thank you guys for being so kind!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you guys want me to continue this story! Please be nice in the comments, I know that I'm not the best writer, and I would love some constructive criticism if you have any! I'm sorry if I'm not doing your fave characters any justice, it's no shade to them at all.


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